Dorfmeister grabs gold

TURIN 2006 - WOMEN'S DOWNHILL

Kildow 8th

SAN SICARIO, Italy -- Usually in ski racing, the important numbers are first, second and third.

Wednesday, though, at the women's Olympic downhill, the stories were first, eighth and 28th:

First: Michaela Dorfmeister won Austria's first Alpine gold of these Games -- wasn't it about time? -- by racing the race of her life when she needed it most. Her winning time was 1 minute, 56:49 seconds. Martina Schild of Switzerland won the silver, with Sweden's Anja Paerson claiming bronze.

Dorfmeister, 32, can retire now, at the end of this season, after having won everything in ski racing, including an Olympic gold.

"I didn't sleep for two days because I was under so much pressure," she said.

Eighth: American Lindsey Kildow, fighting back pain and fear, finished in this spot. This is where hoping-for-a-medal met just-glad-to-be-alive, two days after a horrific training-run crash left her for finished.

She had face-planted in Monday's training run, moments before Kildow joined her with an airlift off the mountain.

Montillet-Carles' face was bruised and swollen -- like that of the lopsided loser in a prize fight. In a valiant effort to defend her title, though, Montillet had her left eye taped open so she could maneuver through the flat light at 60 mph.

"It was my decision," she said of racing. "I could not have stayed in my room and watched the race."